Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 25
Having had a tough start to the year, PV Sindhu said she was looking to gain a bit of momentum at the India Open that starts here tomorrow.
“I have been practising hard,” Sindhu said. “It is very important as we start our Olympics qualification. I have to be mentally and physically fit and I have to give my best. Winning or losing is secondary but it is very important that you give your best. I have prepared well and I hope I will give my best,” she said.
Sindhu’s start to the year has not been good. After losing to Saina Nehwal in the final of the National Championships in February, Sindhu was dumped out by South Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun in the first round of the All-England Championships earlier this month.
“I started off well but again the ending wasn’t good,” Sindhu said about the match against Sung.
Sindhu’s loss to Saina was yet another failure for the tall Indian in the final of a tournament.
“I have been thinking about it a lot but I have been happy with my performances. I have been doing well but then suddenly I come into a final and then I don’t know what’s happening in the game,” said Sindhu. Sindhu has lost in the finals at the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, apart from other tournaments. In December last year, Sindhu finally broke the jinx by winning the BWF World Tour Finals title in Guangzhou, China, after beating her nemesis Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the final. “When I came into the Finals, I told myself ‘this is my ninth or 10th final and what’s going on?’ I thought I have to change something or I have to stick to that and I have to just not lose. Then I gave my 200 percent and I finally got gold,” Sindhu said.
Like Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth is another Indian star who would be looking to get back to winning ways. Srikanth, who won four major titles in 2017, went winless in 2018.
“I think the series of quarterfinals were far more irritating than losing in the first round. I think I have been consistent against a few players and then not able to get that win against a few others in the quarterfinals and semifinals. And that is what I’m working on,” said Srikanth, who had lost in nine quarterfinal matches last year.
“I just want to improve on different things, to be able to win points in tough matches and be more consistent. If I can hold on to the momentum and keep improving till the Olympics, I can do well there,” he said.
Shuttlers write to BAI over lack of funding
New Delhi: Over 15 members of the core group have written a letter to the Badminton Association of India (BAI) requesting the national body for financial help. BAI rules stipulate that players who are in the top-25 in the world rankings get their tour expenses taken care of by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). It means that many players, including current national champion Sourabh Verma, have to either spend their own money or depend on the sponsors. “Ever since the rule which only enables players in the top-25 of the world to get funding from the BAI/Sports Ministry, we are spending from our own pockets. Most of us do not have any private sponsor nor a permanent job,” said the letter addressed to BAI president Himanta Biswa Sarma. “We also feel neglected from the association as all the money is diverted towards the established players who have multiple sponsors. …we agree that the elite group has proven performers but we would also be grateful if the association could support us a little. We would be grateful if players from the core group could at least get funding for 10-12 tournaments a year by the Sports Ministry/BAI.” BAI secretary general Ajay Kumar Singhania agreed that the matter should be looked into. “I totally agree that we can’t ignore these players,” Singhania told The Tribune on Monday. — TNS
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